U.S. patent application number 10/284550 was filed with the patent office on 2004-04-29 for web site and method for search engine optimization by prompting, recording and displaying feedback of a web site user.
Invention is credited to Lunsford, Joseph R., Ziler, Mark R..
Application Number | 20040083127 10/284550 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32107594 |
Filed Date | 2004-04-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040083127 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lunsford, Joseph R. ; et
al. |
April 29, 2004 |
Web site and method for search engine optimization by prompting,
recording and displaying feedback of a web site user
Abstract
The invention provides a web site with content designed to
elicit responses from users that contain keyword dense content for
a chosen word or words. Users submit responses to the website and
the website displays the responses on a web page. The accumulation
of targeted and keyword specific material in natural language as
recorded and displayed on the web site attracts search engine
spiders and achieve a higher ranking in response to key word
searches matching the keyword dense content.
Inventors: |
Lunsford, Joseph R.;
(Alpharetta, GA) ; Ziler, Mark R.; (Decatur,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
James A. Born
Hill, Kertscher & Pixley, LLP
Suite 750
2859 Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta
GA
30339
US
|
Family ID: |
32107594 |
Appl. No.: |
10/284550 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.32 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/063 20130101;
G06Q 30/0203 20130101; G06Q 30/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/010 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/60 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A web site comprising: means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, means for
recording said user feedback, and at least one web page to display
said user feedback; wherein said at least one web page to display
said user feedback has been search engine optimized for said at
least one word.
2. A web site comprising: means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, means for
recording said user feedback, and at least one web page to display
said user feedback, said at least one web page displaying said user
feedback additionally comprising META-information including a title
tag; wherein said title tag of said at least one web page to
display said user feedback contains said at least one word.
3. A web site comprising: means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, means for
recording said user feedback, and at least one web page to display
said user feedback, said at least one web page to display said user
feedback additionally comprising META-information including a
description tag; wherein said description tag of said at least one
web page to display said user feedback contains said at least one
word.
4. A web site comprising: means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, means for
recording said user feedback, and at least one web page to display
said user feedback, said at least one web page to display said user
feedback additionally comprising META-information including a
keyword tag; wherein said keyword tag of said at least one web page
to display said user feedback contains said at least one word.
5. A web site comprising: means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, means for
recording said user feedback, and at least one web page to display
said user feedback, said at least one web page to display said user
feedback additionally comprising META-information including a title
tag, a description tag, and a keyword tag; wherein said title,
description, and keyword tags of said at least one web page to
display said user feedback contain said at least one word.
6. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises message board software.
7. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises message board software.
8. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises message board software.
9. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises message board software.
10. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises message board software.
11. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises at least one email
address.
12. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises at least one email
address.
13. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises at least one email
address.
14. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises at least one email
address.
15. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises at least one email
address.
16. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises chat room software.
17. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises chat room software.
18. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises chat room software.
19. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises chat room software.
20. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said means for
recording said user feedback comprises chat room software.
21. A web site according to claim 6, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises a thread of
said message board.
22. A web site according to claim 7, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises a thread of
said message board.
23. A web site according to claim 8, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises a thread of
said message board.
24. A web site according to claim 9, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises a thread of
said message board.
25. A web site according to claim 10, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises a thread of
said message board.
26. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises
content.
27. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises
content.
28. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises
content.
29. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises
content.
30. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said means for
prompting a web site user to provide feedback comprises
content.
31. A web site according to claim 1, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback to ensure that said feedback is relevant and appropriate,
and removes or does not display feedback that is not relevant or
appropriate.
32. A web site according to claim 2, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback to ensure that said feedback is relevant and appropriate,
and removes or does not display feedback that is not relevant or
appropriate.
33. A web site according to claim 3, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback to ensure that said feedback is relevant and appropriate,
and removes or does not display feedback that is not relevant or
appropriate.
34. A web site according to claim 4, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback to ensure that said feedback is relevant and appropriate,
and removes or does not display feedback that is not relevant or
appropriate.
35. A web site according to claim 5, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback to ensure that said feedback is relevant and appropriate,
and removes or does not display feedback that is not relevant or
appropriate.
36. A web site according to claim 1, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback and may display a response on said at least one web page
to display said user feedback.
37. A web site according to claim 2, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback and may display a response on said at least one web page
to display said user feedback.
38. A web site according to claim 3, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback and may display a response on said at least one web page
to display said user feedback.
39. A web site according to claim 4, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback and may display a response on said at least one web page
to display said user feedback.
40. A web site according to claim 5, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews said user
feedback and may display a response on said at least one web page
to display said user feedback.
41. A web site according to claim 1, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews and edits
said user feedback before displaying said feedback.
42. A web site according to claim 2, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews and edits
said user feedback before displaying said feedback.
43. A web site according to claim 3, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews and edits
said user feedback before displaying said feedback.
44. A web site according to claim 4, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews and edits
said user feedback before displaying said feedback.
45. A web site according to claim 5, further comprising a
moderator, wherein said moderator periodically reviews and edits
said user feedback before displaying said feedback.
46. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing at least one link to another
web page.
47. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing at least one link to another
web page.
48. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing at least one link to another
web page.
49. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing at least one link to another
web page.
50. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing at least one link to another
web page.
51. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing an explanation of the
existence and purpose of said site.
52. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing an explanation of the
existence and purpose of said site.
53. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing an explanation of the
existence and purpose of said site.
54. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing an explanation of the
existence and purpose of said site.
55. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface containing an explanation of the
existence and purpose of said site.
56. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface being separated from said user feedback
by frames.
57. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface being separated from said user feedback
by frames.
58. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface being separated from said user feedback
by frames.
59. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface being separated from said user feedback
by frames.
60. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said web page to
display said user feedback further comprises a navigation
interface, said interface being separated from said user feedback
by frames.
61. A web site according to claim 46, wherein said at least one
link comprises a banner-type advertisement.
62. A web site according to claim 47, wherein said at least one
link comprises a banner-type advertisement.
63. A web site according to claim 48, wherein said at least one
link comprises a banner-type advertisement.
64. A web site according to claim 49, wherein said at least one
link comprises a banner-type advertisement.
65. A web site according to claim 50, wherein said at least one
link comprises a banner-type advertisement.
66. A web site according to claim 26, wherein said content
comprises information, opinion, or previous submissions.
67. A web site according to claim 27, wherein said content
comprises information, opinion, or previous submissions.
68. A web site according to claim 28, wherein said content
comprises information, opinion, or previous submissions.
69. A web site according to claim 29, wherein said content
comprises information, opinion, or previous submissions.
70. A web site according to claim 30, wherein said content
comprises information, opinion, or previous submissions.
71. A web site according to claim 26, wherein said content includes
offers of incentives to users who submit feedback.
72. A web site according to claim 27, wherein said content includes
offers of incentives to users who submit feedback.
73. A web site according to claim 28, wherein said content includes
offers of incentives to users who submit feedback.
74. A web site according to claim 29, wherein said content includes
offers of incentives to users who submit feedback.
75. A web site according to claim 30, wherein said content includes
offers of incentives to users who submit feedback.
76. A web site according to claim 1, further comprising at least
one conversion web page.
77. A web site according to claim 2, further comprising at least
one conversion web page.
78. A web site according to claim 3, further comprising at least
one conversion web page.
79. A web site according to claim 4, further comprising at least
one conversion web page.
80. A web site according to claim 5, further comprising at least
one conversion web page.
81. A web site according to claim 1, wherein said at least one web
page to display said user feedback is assigned a "spider-friendly"
URL.
82. A web site according to claim 2, wherein said at least one web
page to display said user feedback is assigned a "spider-friendly"
URL.
83. A web site according to claim 3, wherein said at least one web
page to display said user feedback is assigned a "spider-friendly"
URL.
84. A web site according to claim 4, wherein said at least one web
page to display said user feedback is assigned a "spider-friendly"
URL.
85. A web site according to claim 5, wherein said at least one web
page to display said user feedback is assigned a "spider-friendly"
URL.
86. A method of generating content for use on a web site,
comprising: providing means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, receiving said
user feedback, and displaying said user feedback on a web page of
said web site which has been search engine optimized for said at
least one word.
87. A method of generating content for use on a web site,
comprising: providing means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, receiving user
feedback, and displaying user feedback on a web page of said web
site that includes said at least one word in the title tag of said
web page.
88. A method of generating content for use on a web site,
comprising: providing means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, receiving said
user feedback, and displaying said user feedback on a web page of
said web site that includes said at least one word in the
description tag of said web page.
89. A method of generating content for use on a web site,
comprising: providing means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, receiving said
user feedback, and displaying said user feedback on a web page of
said web site that includes said at least one word in the keyword
tag of said web page.
90. A method of generating content for use on a web site,
comprising: providing means for prompting a web site user to
provide feedback relevant for at least one word, receiving said
user feedback, and displaying said user feedback on a web page of
said web site that includes said at least one word in the title,
description, and keyword tags of said web page.
91. The method according to claim 86, further comprising moderating
said user feedback.
92. The method according to claim 87, further comprising moderating
said user feedback.
93. The method according to claim 88, further comprising moderating
said user feedback.
94. The method according to claim 89, further comprising moderating
said user feedback.
95. The method according to claim 90, further comprising moderating
said user feedback.
96. The method according to claim 86, further comprising providing
a navigation interface on said web page displaying said user
feedback.
97. The method according to claim 87, further comprising providing
a navigation interface on said web page displaying said user
feedback.
98. The method according to claim 88, further comprising providing
a navigation interface on said web page displaying said user
feedback.
99. The method according to claim 89, further comprising providing
a navigation interface on said web page displaying said user
feedback.
100. The method according to claim 90, further comprising providing
a navigation interface on said web page displaying said user
feedback.
101. The method according to claim 86, further comprising providing
at least one conversion page on said web site.
102. The method according to claim 87, further comprising providing
at least one conversion page on said web site.
103. The method according to claim 88, further comprising providing
at least one conversion page on said web site.
104. The method according to claim 89, further comprising providing
at least one conversion page on said web site.
105. The method according to claim 90, further comprising providing
at least one conversion page on said web site.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] I. Field of Invention
[0002] This invention relates to the promotion and marketing of
products and services on web sites over the Internet. More
particularly, this invention relates to the use of user feedback to
web site content to optimize the web site's search engine
ranking.
[0003] II. Description of Prior Art
[0004] The Internet is the largest single repository of information
in the history of humankind. It includes hundreds of millions of
web sites (containing one or more web pages) with information on
virtually every topic imaginable. Most people use search engines to
locate information on a desired topic. A variety of search engine
technologies have been proposed, including those discussed in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,920,854, granted to Kirsch, et al. on Jul. 6, 1999, and
U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,907, granted to Fanning, et al. on Apr. 2,
2002. The user types in one or more words, called keywords, and the
search engine returns a list of web pages (and sometimes the
containing site) that the engine deems relevant to the keyword(s),
usually in page order from most to least relevant. This list often
includes hundreds or even thousands of web sites and pages. The
pages at the top of the list returned by the search engine in
response to a search are the easiest and most convenient to access,
and are therefore accessed by users with greater frequency than
pages located nearer to the bottom of the list.
[0005] Most if not all web site owners and operators seek to
maximize the number of users who access their web site. In the case
of web sites offering products or services for sale, it is
obviously desirable for the web site to be located as close as
possible to the top of the list of search engine results for a
search relevant to the site's content for maximum exposure to the
most users. Web sites exposed to more users have more chances to
convert a user. Conversion is when the user initiates an action of
consumer significance on a web site, such as providing information
to a web site host, making a purchase, requesting information,
contacting someone at the web site sponsor, or requesting such
contact information. For example, web sites that receive revenue
from advertisers each time a user accesses an advertising banner on
the site (usually by clicking it with a mouse) seek to maximize
site exposure to users and also maximize the number of users
converted by clicking on an advertising banner. Increasing the
relevance ranking a web page is assigned by search engines is a
high priority for a web site owner.
[0006] Search engines take many factors into consideration when
determining the relevance of a web page. Known search engines have
one or more rules involving the location and frequency of keywords
on a web page. If a certain word appears in certain locations on
the page and occurs frequently enough, the engine will assign
"relevant" or even "highly relevant" ranking to the page for the
word when used in a keyword search. Many search engines currently
weigh the title of a web page very strongly in determining
relevance. Many search engines also favor text found at or near the
top of the page. The keyword density (the ratio of the number of
times the keyword appears to the total number of words appearing on
the web page) as well as the total number of times the keyword
appears are also factors in evaluating relevance.
[0007] Some search engines give added weight to web pages with the
keywords that are meta-tagged. Meta-tags are commands inserted into
a web page that provide information about the web page. Tags are
used by most format specifications that store documents as text
files, including Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and
HyperText Markup Language (HTML). There are several types of
meta-tags, but the most important for purposes of search engine
indexing are the title, description and keyword tags. The title tag
contains the title of the web page. The web site owner uses the
description tag to return a suggested description of the page to
the search engine in place of or in addition to the summary the
search engine would ordinarily create for the page. The keyword tag
provides a list of one or more words the site owner desires search
engine to associate with the page. What is usually more important
than the use of meta-tags is the use of the keyword in the title of
the page and repeating the keyword frequently, but naturally, at
the top of the body of text, and then throughout the body of text
at periodic intervals.
[0008] Many other factors are also taken into account by the search
engine when it ranks a page. In general, however, there tends to be
a positive correlation between keyword density and amount of
keyword dense content on the web page and relevance ranking
assigned to the page by the search engine in searches for the
keyword. Therefore, if one wants to drive targeted search engine
traffic to a web site, it is desirable to create a lot of content
on a page of the site which is keyword dense for a desired word.
While content is any form of data including text, graphics, and
sounds that is accessible by the user, spiders currently only
recognize textual content. The process of designing a web page with
the goal of ensuring that it will be deemed highly relevant to one
or more desired keywords is known as search engine optimization
(SEO).
[0009] One common practice in SEO is creating content to be keyword
dense for a predetermined word or words, then using the word(s) in
the page title and the description and keyword tags. The largest
cost in this practice is associated with creating the content. A
common practice in SEO to reduce the cost of creating content is
keyword stuffing a web page, particularly a web page which is
visible to search engines, but not to end users. Keyword stuffing
is repeating a keyword over and over again on a page (thereby
increasing keyword density and amount of keyword dense content on
the page) without providing any useful content to the end user.
Search engines utilize algorithms to detect and penalize the
practice of keyword stuffing by reducing the relevance rating of
the page or by removing it from the listing altogether. Techniques
for creating keyword dense content for a website without keyword
stuffing, such as keyword optimized copywriting, are laborious and
expensive.
[0010] Message boards are commonly known in the prior art. One
example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,427 issued to Tiebel, et al. on Mar.
26, 2002 (incorporated by reference). Message board (or bulletin
board system) as used herein refers to an electronic message
center. The message centers are provided by a web site host for
users to post comments, questions, and other feedback in response
to website content or posts from other users. Popular examples
include message boards maintained on the Internet by Yahoo! Inc.
allowing users to post messages pertaining to different publicly
traded companies and to news articles. Some bulletin boards include
a moderator, which is a person who reviews the posts to ensure that
they are appropriate, and removes the posts that are not
appropriate; some moderation may be performed by software. Users
can access the board, locate the thread, as defined herein, that
interests them, read messages (or posts) left by other users, and
leave their own response if they so desire. A "thread" is an
initial topic of discussion and any responses to it. Links to the
topic and responses may be sorted chronologically on a web page or
pages to facilitate reading all linked messages in order. Users may
select links that interest them from a listing of thread or topic
names available, and the links bring up the thread or topic
corresponding to the link selected.
[0011] Known message boards in the prior art are usually not
included in lists of search engine results. One reason is that the
host web site does not make display page easily accessible to
spiders. Another reason is that message boards are often run using
databases which group information together in order to display the
message board content to users. These databases are designed for
users to be able to interact and discuss topics, and so the
databases do not have the built-in capacity to store
meta-information (such as meta title, keyword, and description
tags) which aids the search engine spider in determining the
relevance of each thread. In addition, although the individual
messages posted to the message boards are displayed on web pages,
known web pages displaying the messages do not make use of
meta-tags which are specific to each thread or topic to further
enhance the keyword-based appeal of message board messages to a
search engine; nor do many of them display more than one message
body on each page, which results in less keyword dense content on
each page. Furthermore, moderators do not review the posts for
keyword density or other factors affecting a relevance rating.
[0012] Web sites commonly provide one or more e-mail addresses for
users to send feedback to the site owner. The owner may review the
e-mails, and may respond or display them on a web page of the site
as testimonial advertising for other users to view. As with message
boards, there is no coordination of web page design and user email
content and no attempt to include content on the site designed to
elicit feedback that is relevant to a predetermined word or
words.
[0013] Some web sites include a textual "chat room." Prior-art chat
rooms provide users with access to real-time means of displaying
user feedback typed back and forth between different users. Users
can view feedback submitted from other users, usually from the time
the user entered the chat room. While chat room feedback may be
archived, chat room feedback is usually only available transiently
to users, and is not made available to search engines.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] It is an object of the present invention to reduce the costs
associated with generating keyword dense content for a web
site.
[0015] It is also an object of the present invention to optimize
the search engine rankings of a web site, and to reduce the costs
associated with optimization.
[0016] To achieve these and other related objects, the present
invention provides a method and system of search engine
optimization that includes generating content for web sites and
optimizing the search engine rankings for the web pages displaying
the content. An embodiment of the invention is a web site with
content designed to elicit responses from users that contain
keyword dense content or other relevance-increasing content for a
chosen word or words. Users submit responses to the website and the
website displays the responses on a web page.
[0017] Another embodiment of the invention comprises a web site
including a message board and at least one web page displaying the
user posts to the message board. The message board has at least one
topic designed to elicit user responses that are relevant for a
particlular word when the word is used in a keyword search. Users
submissions are displayed on a web page. These embodiments may also
include a display page that is optimized for the word.
[0018] Another embodiment comprises a web site including content
designed to generate user responses that are relevant for a word or
words, and an email address for users to send the feedback to the
owner. The site also includes a feedback display page optimized for
the word(s).
[0019] Another embodiment comprises a web site including content
designed to generate user feedback that is relevant for a word or
words, and a chat room for users to submit responses and read the
responses of other users. The feedback is archived and displayed on
an optimized web page.
[0020] In further embodiments the invention includes ways for users
to convert from the display page, such as a navigation interface
integrated in the display page. The interface informs the user that
the message board page is part of a larger website and/or
facilitates conversion from the message board, and/or allows easy
access to the other parts of the web site. The invention may also
include a moderator that reviews user submissions for
appropriateness, relevance, or other factors when determining
whether to display submissions or remove them from the display
page. The moderator may be a person or software.
[0021] These together with other objects and advantages which will
be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and
operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, with
reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof,
wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout. The
drawings are intended only to illustrate or exemplify an embodiment
of the invention claimed herein, and are not intended to act as
limitations of any of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a conceptual drawing of the Internet.
[0023] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example feedback display
page.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Now turning to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1
thereof, it will be observed that it depicts a conceptual drawing
of a portion of a computer network. The network will be referred to
as the Internet hereinafter, but it should be understood that it
could be any computer network, such as a local area network (LAN)
or a wide area network (WAN). A user accesses one of multiple
search engines 1 via, for example, a personal computer 2 executing
a web browser program such as Navigator or Explorer. Examples of
search engines include the Google and Altavista engines. The user
types in a word or words to be searched, and in response to the
user's keyword search, the search engine 1 returns a list 3 of
relevant results including a web page of a website utilizing the
present invention residing on server 4. A server is a computer
system that is remotely accessible to other computers. The server
provides information in response to requests from other computers
on the Internet.
[0025] An embodiment of the invention is a web site including
content designed to elicit responses from users that contain
keyword dense content or other relevance-increasing content for a
chosen word or words. The chosen word is a word the site owner
wants his site to receive a high relevance ranking for when the
word is used in a keyword search. The content designed to elicit
responses may consist of information about a product and questions
or issues about the product.
[0026] For example, a web site owner selling widgets may, with the
help of common sense, market analyses or consumer survey results,
choose words such as "widget" and "widget sales" as words that
users seeking information on widgets would likely use for keyword
searches on the subject and therefore determine that his website
should have a high relevance ranking with respect to the words. The
owner might display informative articles or differing points of
view on the subject of which widgets are the best. Various
incentives might be offered to users who submit feedback. For
example, a stock market-related site may offer measures of market
performance as the response-eliciting content. The site may offer
real-time quotes to those users who contribute relevant feedback or
do so on a consistent basis.
[0027] The website owner receives submissions and displays any
responses thereto. As more users read the topic and the displayed
responses, they also submit responses. As more responses are
submitted to the owner, more responses are displayed on the site.
This practice increases the amount of relevant content on the site
for a very small investment of time and money on the part of the
site owner, particularly if the posting of responses to the site is
handled in an automated manner which requires no maintenance by the
owner.
[0028] Another consideration is that of facilitating the ability of
search engine spiders to crawl the links in the host website to the
pages which display the web content. Spiders are often programmed
to avoid Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) with certain formats,
such as URLs incorporating a query string. If the display pages are
referenced by such URLs which are not "spider friendly," it will
impede the spiders from indexing these pages and will render moot
the existence of the keyword-rich content on these pages.
Therefore, the pages should be referenced with "spider friendly"
URLs to ensure that spiders can easily crawl the display pages.
Since different spiders have different "preferences" as to what
they will and will not crawl, there are known strategies in the art
for facilitating spider crawling, including but not limited to best
practices in link structures and the elimination of query strings.
Using the example of query strings as a "spider unfriendly" URL
format, there are many options that are known in the art to avoid
this problem, such as using static HTML pages rather than
dynamically generated pages, or encoding the URL into a format
which is acceptable to spiders.
[0029] In another embodiment, the web site owner may include
content designed to elicit relevant feedback and additionally
optimize a display page for the word(s). In the example, the words
"franchise" and "franchisee" might be included in the title, the
description tag, and the keyword tag of the page. The coordination
of the display page design and the response-generating content of
the website may provide user feedback that is dense for a given
word and keyword dense in one or more of the keywords on the
optimized display page.
[0030] Other embodiments may also include a message board or
bulletin board as the means for users to submit feedback. Bulletin
board software may be obtained from many sources, including
vBulletin, ZeroSoft, Ultimate Bulletin Board, and Bulletin Board
Corporation. The display page may include a link to a login page,
where users may have to submit data such as a name, telephone
number, email address, or other information. After logging in,
users may be allowed to access a submission page to allow users to
submit feedback. The submission page may include a form to be
completed by the user. The form may include name, subject, and
message body fields. In the subject field, the message board may be
programmed to insert a pre-determined entry corresponding to the
thread the user is posting. The entry may include the desired word
or keyword, which may increase the keyword density of the
submission. The user may be able to edit the subject field. The
board may automatically display submissions on the display page or
may hold the submissions for review before displaying them. The
board may display multiple submissions on the same page. This
method of display may increase the keyword density or the amount of
keyword-dense text on a display page, especially compared to the
one-post-per-page practice of many prior art bulletin boards.
[0031] The display page may also include a navigation interface.
The interface may be separated from the displayed responses by
frames, or be integrated into the body of responses. The interface
may facilitate conversion of the user from the display page. The
interface may facilitate conversion by including, for example,
"Next" and "Previous" links to adjacent pages of the site, a list
of links to other pages of the site, links to pages which sell or
provide further information about the topic of discussion, or a
notice of the existence and purpose of the rest of the site.
[0032] One example of a display page is shown in FIG. 2. The
display page is optimized for "widgets." The title 5, description
6, and keyword 7 tags all include the word widget as well as
variations and combinations of the word. The page includes various
conversion links 8-10. One of the links 8 provides an opportunity
to buy widgets at a discount. Another link 9 allows a user to sign
up for a widget newsletter. A third link 10 allows users to search
the rest of the site for widgets. There are also links 11-15 to
further information about specific widgets, such as green, blue,
red, small and large widgets. The message board-thread 16 and user
posts are also displayed on the page. Keywords used in posts may be
in bold type. Underlined words may be links to more information or
conversion opportunities. The thread 16 may also contain links
17-19 for users to post replies, login or register, or view other
discussion topics. When deciding what content to include on a
display page, the owner should keep in mind that the display page
is the page that will be included in search engine results lists,
and therefore will probably be the page of the site most viewed by
users.
[0033] Other embodiments may provide users with one or more site
e-mail addresses as a means of submitting feedback. Users may also
be provided with access to a chat room as a means of submitting
feedback. In the case of a chat room, the previous submissions
displayed would allow users entering the chat room to familiarize
themselves with the thread of the feedback before submitting his
own feedback. This practice may increase the relevance of user
submissions. In each case, individual submissions may be posted on
a display page to increase the relevance of the page for a given
word. Further embodiments may provide a chat room for users to
submit feedback, archive the feedback, and display it on a display
page.
[0034] Embodiments may also comprise a moderator. A moderator may
be a person or piece of software, such as a text-editor. The
moderator may review the user submissions for relevance or
appropriateness. Off-topic submissions or those including profanity
do not have to be displayed or can be edited before being
displayed. The moderator might also insert links into the text of
the submissions where appropriate. Submissions that include desired
keywords or are otherwise particularly relevant might be included
and/or the submitter otherwise rewarded. The moderator may respond
to user submissions, provide information, or answer questions by
post, e-mail, or chat response.
[0035] The many features and advantages of the invention are
apparent from the specification, and thus, it is intended by the
inventor that the appended claims cover all such features and
advantages of the invention that fall within the true scope and
spirit of the invention. Further, since numerous variations and
modifications will be readily apparent to those of skill in the
art, the inventor does not desire to limit the invention to the
exact embodiments illustrated and described herein, and
accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be
resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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